My friend went to Paris for the first time. Her trip was four days long. On the way there, the airline lost her luggage. Fortunately, it was found and returned to her — on the last day of her trip.
After enjoying a beautiful cruise around the Caribbean, my parents found out their luggage did not make it home with them. Three days later, someone knocked on our door. It was a carrier returning their luggage. When my mother opened her bag, all of her underwear was gone.
Earning slightly above minimum wage, I saved up my money to buy my lovely boyfriend a watch. He adored this gift so much that he stored the timepiece in its original box each and every night, even while out of town. During one trip, he checked his luggage. That night, when he opened his bag, the box was there, but the watch was gone forever.
These real-life examples illustrate why you and everyone you love should choose to fly with only a carry-on, starting today. Rest assured, the carefree carry-on lifestyle does not mean you cannot be clean and glamorous wherever you go. There is a secret to packing light. And I want to share that secret with you — and only you — right now.
You want to pack light, but you also want to look good and smell great. Not a problem!
The first thing you want to do is remember the duration of your trip differs from the duration of your wardrobe. You only need to pack for one week. For variety, add a few accessories in bright hues that make you feel happy and beautiful. We’ll talk more about how exactly to do that later in this video, so stay tuned.
Next, you want to schedule laundry days every eighth day to keep your clothing nice and clean.
I know this can seem like a commitment – who wants to do laundry on vacation, right? But grabbing a book or journal and heading to the laundromat for 30-45 minutes can be an enjoyable way to start or end the day. It gives you a moment to reflect and relax – which is the entire point of traveling. Better still, select accommodations that include a washing machine, and you can put a load in before a morning jog or later before heading out for the evening.
I don’t travel without Tide Travel Packets. Each packet is suitable for one average-sized load. Tide also makes detergent for handwashing clothing in your sink, but that’s not for me. I’d rather just throw it in the machine than wash items by hand unless they’re delicates. But if you are okay with washing clothes in your bathroom sink periodically, grab a pack of Tide Travel Sink Packets.
This is an excellent time to note that dryers are only standard in some parts of the world, so remember to pack your portable elastic clothesline. They’re less than $10 and are super easy to use. I always travel with one.
The third key for successfully packing just a carry-on for your two-week or three-week trip is to plan your outfits ahead of time.
I don’t mean having a general idea of what you’ll wear; I mean knowing exactly what you’ll wear each day of your adventure. Of course, you can change the formula as you go, but having your capsule wardrobe planned out removes all the guesswork and ensures you look your best and feel your best anywhere in the world.
Pro tip: If you want to plan out what you’ll wear before a trip successfully, make a visual guide à la Cher’s closet in the movie Clueless. I’ll search online for photos of my items and upload these pictures into a graphic design tool like Canva.com. If I can’t find the exact piece, I’ll save something similar. I then remove the background and paste the pictures into a visual guide. I refer to this guide during my trip before getting dressed for the day or an event. Now, if that sounds like overkill to you, no problem. You can jot down a rough idea of what you plan to wear. The result, either way, will be a never-boring wardrobe with clean items that don’t repeat too frequently.
As you get into the second and third weeks, rethink pairings for even more combinations. For example, some travelers, like stylist Shiona Turini, prefer to choose a color story for their wardrobe inspired by their destination. This ensures everything in their suitcase looks good when paired with any item they bring.
The next tip I have for you is a bit controversial. Some people swear by the rolling method, and there are tons of videos on how to do it efficiently. For me, though, the best way to ensure I stay organized day after day during my travels is – two words – packing cubes. Packing cubes are great because if I suddenly decide to wear that item from the bottom of my luggage, under the undies, and below all of my jeans, I don’t have to make a mess to find that item. I remove the cubes I don’t need, grab the ones I do, and put everything back quickly. A caveat: Packing cubes ensure you’ll pack fewer items since you’re not stuffing something inside every nook and cranny of your bag. This may be a pro or a con, depending on how you view it.
Before continuing to the next tip, if you want more travel hacks and itineraries, click the link in my description box and the comment section below to receive a free travel essentials guide. This guide will help you travel more confidently, no matter where you’re headed. Again, click the link in my description box to subscribe.
Now, the moment you’ve been waiting for: I’m going to show you how I pack my bag using packing cubes. Are you ready? Let’s do it!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY PACKING ROUTINE.
- So, I’m currently packing for one week in Mexico. However, if I had stayed for three weeks, my packing list would be the same.
- As I described earlier, I’ve already planned out my outfits using Canva.
- I both roll and fold my item in my packing cubes.
Thank you so much for watching this video on how to be clean and cute with a carry-on. Now that your fashion is together, let’s talk about skin. Check out my next video, where I share my travel skincare routine and pro tips I wish I had known before I took my first flight. See you next Saturday!